The male supporting character was actually myself.

She gave birth to a brainless youngest son. He finally had a chance to show his talent, but instead of making good use of it, he only thought about humiliating his opponents in an attempt to coerce them into giving him the family's favor.

She also had an even more brainless grandson who, without considering the facts or the reasons, relied on his lucky finds to act recklessly, trampling on whomever he wanted, killing whomever he wanted, and making enemies everywhere by mocking, showing off, and slapping faces.

The little white cat is absolutely right. Without the unexpected halo and cheat codes, what is he anyway?

Of course, if Ling Qiye is wrong and the Gu family is indeed two-faced and unfair to Gu Xingzhou, then it's acceptable to let him have his way to some extent.

But the protagonist's halo that has been stolen still needs to be returned, otherwise the consequences will be too serious. We can't let the world's energy lose its balance and be destroyed just to make one person feel good.

"Sigh, that's what they call 'what's yours is yours, and what's not yours is useless to fight for!'" The fluffy ball washed its face with its paws and sighed, "I wonder how far the wild pseudo-master has progressed. If... I could just use a little cat scooping the moon' move to take the ring away and 'study it out,' would his dream be shattered?"

Chapter Twenty: Young Man, Do You Want to Become Stronger?

"Let's check the situation first, then we'll decide whether to take the ring." Jiang Chen squatted on the roof, looking at the highly accurate map that Ling Qiye had helped him get from the School Affairs Department. He finally found a small black dot in a corner with three words marked next to it—Junxi Town.

The little white cat rubbed its fluffy, round face and sighed, "My goodness, it's so far away! No wonder it's labeled as a boy from a remote mountain village, it's way too rural!"

"Exile, isn't it usually to some remote, bitterly cold place? Compared to that, this place is relatively good. You can even find high-quality spiritual plants in the barren mountains."

The fluffy ball touched its host's small body with its paw and shook its head, saying, "Host, I'm worried about you! The main system is probably busy maintaining the energy balance and isn't issuing any tasks to us. The matter of transforming into human form still hasn't been settled."

With your current small frame... forget about riding a horse;

Taking a carriage is too slow; by the time we get there, the wild, false lord might have already invaded Kyoto.

Tsk tsk, wouldn't you be exhausted if you ran there?

Let's use some items instead. I remember there are some teleportation items...

Jiang Chen, who was pondering how to investigate the truth of what happened back then and guide the wild pseudo-master onto the right path so as not to waste his talent, was taken aback when he heard this. Looking at the little white cat squatting on the roof scratching its belly and rummaging through props, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

Sure enough, your own cat is the most considerate!

Although it just eats and drinks without lifting a finger and expects to win;

Although it always takes the opportunity to rub its fur and make it messy, it tries its best to think things through and consider its own needs when it matters!

Just as she was deeply moved, the fluffy little dumpling scratched her belly, propped her face up with her paws, and chuckled, "Host, I've looked at the teleportation items we have. They either have distance limitations or require you to have been to places before. There aren't any that can teleport you to an unknown location where you don't even have a specific idea of ​​the terrain... for now."

But I found another prop!

"Clang clang clang clang!" After a soft, sweet self-sounding effect, the little white cat pulled out a button and grinned mischievously, "A one-time use D-grade item—a hamster's running wheel!"

After use, the selected person will enter a 360° all-around protective circular running wheel. The other end of the rope is controlled by the user, allowing for rapid movement. It is generally used to capture and transport special prisoners.

If the user does not actively cancel the item's effect, the effect will last for 24 hours.

"Look, host, I've read and understood it very carefully." The little white cat excitedly explained, "Although it talks about transporting prisoners, this thing is actually quite useful."

First of all, even if you're knocked unconscious and thrown in, it will still function normally, which means you can sleep soundly inside without having to move at all;

Secondly, the running wheel is safe enough, it won't cause you to get hurt by bumping around, and with the help of the props, it has almost no weight. It can also make you invisible and pass through walls as if you were in an empty place.

The most important point is that the movement speed depends on the user, and even supersonic flight is no problem! Twenty-four hours won't be needed at all. With my cute little white dog carrying the host, you'll be in Junxi Town when you wake up after a nap!

Safe, convenient, and quick—this is the most practical tool available right now that won't delay anything, meow~

Jiang Chen: (*?ェ?*||)

The main system made me the cat;

The assist system is letting me into the hamster's running wheel?

It was supposed to be a demon cat, but it doesn't have any special effects except for being able to talk. It can't transform into human form or use magic, so what kind of demon cat is it?

Despite his complaints, he realized there seemed to be no better way. In order to get to Junxi Town as soon as possible to find the wild pseudo-master and help Ling Qiye reclaim the protagonist's halo, he had no choice but to get on the running wheel.

"Meow~" Jiang Chen stretched and meowed in a childish voice, "Since there is a way to get there quickly, we are not in a hurry. Let's first help Ling Qiye get the spiritual medicine and have him discuss with the School Affairs Department to prepare for launching the national cultivation plan to resist the invasion of the demon race;

I also need to make a trip to the Gu family. Seeing is believing, so I'll investigate the Gu family to see for myself.

The fluffy little ball of fluff put away the buttons and replied with a grin, "Okay, meow!"

Meanwhile, in the remote mountains outside Junxi Town, Gu Xingzhou, dressed in coarse cloth, was carefully examining an antique-looking black ring.

"Strange, it's been more than ten days and there's still no sign of it." A while ago, I went into the mountains to look for spiritual plants, hoping to brew medicine to nourish my father's body. Unexpectedly, I saw a strange light in the grass. When I got closer, I found that this beautiful ring was half buried in the soil.

Gu Xingzhou was immediately curious. Although he had grown up in poverty and had never seen any rare treasures, judging from the ring's design and material, it shouldn't be a cheap item from a street stall.

What's even stranger is that after finding the ring, I originally wanted to take it to the town's auction house to see if I could sell it for a few dollars to buy my mother some nice clothes or jewelry. Unexpectedly, when I accidentally activated my spiritual power, I discovered that the ring would actively devour me!

This is really bizarre!

Spiritual power is a vast force transformed from the essence of heaven and earth through human respiration. If used on ordinary objects, it would certainly destroy them. Although he had only just reached the peak of the first level, a palm strike imbued with spiritual power was more than enough to shatter a sturdy yellow wooden table.

However, this tiny ring showed no fear of the spiritual energy impact and even seemed eager to devour it.

Gu Xingzhou's keen intuition told him that this was probably no ordinary item.

He himself had no idea how to activate the black mystery ring.

This is something I absolutely cannot tell my parents. My mother is just an ordinary person who cannot cultivate, and she has an instinctive resistance to strange things. If she knew, she would definitely associate it with evil spirits and be afraid, and would make me throw it away.

As for the father...

Ever since he was crippled by the despicable Gu Qinglang and lost his grandfather's favor, he has been depressed. His only expectation for himself is to cultivate well and not to be curious about or think about anything else.

If you tell him about the ring's amazing features, you'll probably only get a scolding.

"Whoosh!"

A gentle breeze swept by, lightly brushing against Gu Xingzhou's cheek as he sat in front of the dilapidated thatched hut, bringing with it a faint floral fragrance.

He took a deep breath, completely unaware that he was being enveloped in a dazzling light, shining like a star in the dark night.

At the same time, a barely perceptible light flashed across the ring in Gu Xingzhou's hand. The light disappeared in an instant, but he noticed it alertly. "It's glowing!"

However, after the brief moment of surprise, the ring remained silent and unresponsive. Instead, his exclamation drew a cough from inside the thatched hut. "Cough cough cough, Xingzhou, what are you doing? Have you finished today's training?"

"I've finished everything." Upon hearing this, Gu Xingzhou casually tucked the ring into his pocket, stood up, and walked into the dimly lit, simple thatched hut, excitedly saying, "Father, I've already reached the peak of Level One! As long as I cultivate diligently, I believe I'll soon advance to Level Two!"

Leaning against the bed, looking sickly, Gu Feiyue coughed a few times, pressing his hand against his chest. A look of disappointment and pain appeared on his face. "No wonder your grandfather didn't even glance at our whole family when we moved out. Your qualifications are really no match for your father's."

You are already eighteen years old this year, and you have only barely managed to cultivate to the peak of level one;

When I was your age, I was already preparing to break through to level three!

Alas... Gu Qinglang was a genius who advanced to level five at the age of eighteen; the difference between the two is like heaven and earth...

Gu Xingzhou felt deeply hurt instead of receiving praise. He clenched his right fist so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palm, but he didn't feel any pain.

It's all Gu Qinglang's fault!

If he hadn't looked down on the collateral relatives and beaten his father into a cripple, his father wouldn't have suffered the contempt of his grandfather and the ridicule of others, and he and his mother wouldn't have been unable to even get a hot meal!

The esteemed direct descendant of the Gu family in Junxi Town has been reduced to living a difficult life in a dilapidated thatched hut in a desolate mountain!

Gu Qinglang, I will definitely avenge my father and wipe away his shame!

Just you wait, I will train even harder, and when the clan holds its martial arts tournament, I will repay you a thousandfold for the harm you caused my father back then! I will let you taste what it's like to be expelled from the clan and end up on the streets!

"Without spiritual plants and herbs, how can I compare to my father, who was favored by my grandfather and had priority access to all the spiritual herbs in the family?" The ambitious young man, who was unable to cultivate due to the lack of better conditions, walked dejectedly along the forest path after leaving the house.

He casually plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, a faint bitterness spread through him, just like the grievances and resentment in his heart at that moment.

"Young man, it looks like you need help right now?"

Just as Gu Xingzhou reached the secluded riverbank, a soft voice suddenly drifted into his ears.

His expression changed instantly. He turned around abruptly, his sharp eyes scanning the forest behind him like an eagle's, but he didn't see a single person.

"Hehe, no need to look for it, it's in your hands..."

Just as Gu Xingzhou thought it was just an illusion, that soft and charming voice came over again without any warning.

His pupils contracted, and his starry eyes suddenly stopped on the black, antique-looking ring he had just taken out of his pocket and put on the index finger of his left hand!

"Is that you talking to me?" Gu Xingzhou had never heard of such a strange thing before, but the other party's voice sounded like a soft female voice and seemed harmless, so he suppressed his fear and tried to keep his voice calm and trembling.

"Hehe, young man, you have quite the composure and spirit. You weren't scared at all." Sure enough, a sweet, bell-like laugh came from the ring.

"Who are you? Why are you inside the ring? What do you want?"

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Gu Xingzhou asked the most important questions that had been swirling in his mind.

"Well, you don't need to ask who I am for now. That's not a secret that a poor, down-on-his-luck boy from a small mountain village like you could possibly know. Anyway, I won't harm you. After all, it's thanks to your full support of spiritual energy that I was able to wake up. Otherwise, I probably would have remained asleep for who knows how long."

He suddenly realized, "So it wasn't the ring that absorbed the spiritual energy, but you, who were inside the ring?"

“That’s right.” A faint, almost transparent red figure floated out of the ring, bent down and looked at him carefully for a moment. The woman in the red dress covered her cherry-like mouth and said with a coquettish smile, “Thank you for your kindness, young man. However, I have only just woken up. My soul has not yet recovered and I still need a lot of spiritual energy to nourish it.”

I heard most of your situation from inside the ring.

"Young and impetuous, yet frustrated and humiliated by a forced annulment of his engagement, now even his own father is dissatisfied. You need to become stronger, and I need to attach myself to a strong person to absorb more spiritual energy and restore my strength. How about we talk about cooperation?"

Gu Xingzhou was, after all, just an inexperienced young man who had never seen the world. He was completely captivated by her goddess-like beauty.

Upon hearing that her family had moved out of the Gu family, the illegitimate daughter of the magistrate of Junxi Town, who already looked down on her and was betrothed to her since childhood, led several powerful men to the Gu family to forcefully annul the engagement.

He ended up losing face and becoming utterly humiliated!

Upon seeing the mysterious girl residing within the ring, Gu Xingzhou's heart raced, and his face inexplicably flushed slightly. The magistrate's illegitimate daughter? The girl known as the Little Fairy of Junxi Town wasn't even worthy to carry this mysterious girl's shoes!

A red dress cinched at the waist revealed a pair of bare, jade-white feet. Her swan-like neck was fair and delicate, and her oval face was flawless. In particular, her peach blossom eyes were bright and captivating, and even a single glance could enchant.

With such a beauty by your side, who would still care about the county magistrate's daughter?

"How...how do you want to cooperate?" Gu Xingzhou swallowed hard. Since it concerned his future with this beauty, he had to ask carefully.

The woman in the red dress smiled so brightly that even the flowers in the mountains paled in comparison. "Young man, do you want to become stronger? Do you want to be respected and admired by the strong? I don't mean the extraordinary individuals in a small place like Junxi Town. To be called a strong person by me, you must be at least a level seven or above, a young talent who has seen the world in a big city."

Level 7?!

Gu Xingzhou's heart pounded even harder; he had reached a dead end.

He only reached the peak of level one at the age of eighteen and failed to break through to level two. Although he would have been qualified to take a job in the town government office that ordinary people would envy after breaking through, his grandfather left an ancestral rule that he was not allowed to work in the government office before gaining the favor and recognition of the clan.

In his words, even if one were to enter a government office and receive a government salary, it would have to be a major government office in the capital!

If one is not ambitious, is blinded by petty interests, and violates ancestral precepts, one will be expelled from the Gu family and removed from the family genealogy, and one's descendants will never be able to enter the family genealogy or the ancestral grave.

Therefore, Gu Xingzhou had long rejected the idea of ​​quickly mastering his cultivation to find a job and support his family. Moreover, he had made a grand vow to personally cripple Gu Qinglang to avenge his father, but now...

Without elixirs or good cultivation techniques, his daily hard work still progressed slowly, leaving even his father extremely disappointed!

"I want to become stronger!" Gu Xingzhou clenched his fists, his eyes shining as he looked down at the woman in the red dress floating in mid-air. He declared in a resounding voice, "I want to become the most brilliant star in the Great Sui Dynasty, defeat my peers in the Gu family, and win the qualification to go to the capital to participate in the martial arts tournament."